Montreal is not the most trend-driven city for restaurants, but we have seen our share of restaurant genres come and go. And let's just say I wasn't all that surprised when the raw-food restaurant didn't open a branch in every neighbourhood.

But one food trend I wish would take on a bigger slice of the market is tapas. Maybe it's because I have to eat off everyone's plate when I dine out, but the idea of a plethora of plates hitting the table for all to share never gets old. This sort of nibble-then-move-on noshing, fueled with some fine wines, has become my favourite of dining styles. Compared with small-plate dining, the traditional appetizer-main-course-dessert option seems downright stodgy.

Problem is in Montreal the number of good tapas restaurants can be counted on one hand. So I was thrilled to find one I had yet to review: Confusion.

The restaurant was reviewed in the casual column four years ago. But the bill for a night of tapas dining here with a decent bottle of wine can rival that of many upscale restaurants. But can the food? I headed to St. Denis St. to find out.

Located across from Théâtre St-Denis, Confusion is set over two floors - a bar upstairs and a dining room downstairs with a terrasse. The dining room is an odd space, full of curved banquettes and dark corners. And there's a row of tables where the seating is on swings. Yes, swings, which, after watching one of my dining companions try out, don't look like the smartest arrangement.

No, the smart ideas here are on the menu. Divided into categories with names like "Veg Out," "Thalassa," "For Carnivores," "the Upper Crust" and "Raw, Raw, Raw," the menu also features several main-course options and desserts. I can't say I was tempted by the categories as much as by my waitress, who pointed us to several of the house specials and some of her favourites.

Though not the most confident server, her friendly manner and frequent trips to the table made the meal memorable. She also provided some fine wine recommendations, a must, as Confusion's wine list is lengthy and filled with interesting discoveries at fair prices.

Now onto the food, or, better yet, the feast, as we ordered a dozen dishes starting with a delectable bowl of hummus. Slightly chunky and served with toasted pita chips, hummus may not share the limelight of foie gras parfait, but at the outset of the meal it's downright delicious. I also enjoyed every bite of the herb-heavy guacamole scooped up on plantain chips. But my favourite dish from the first wave of plates was a tomato and goat's cheese crumble that was tangy, spicy and seasoned with just a touch of rosemary. Yum!

Next up: grilled octopus, fried squid, salmon tartare, and bacon-wapped, cheese-stuffed dates. Beginning with the dates, I was a little turned off by the sweetness of the fruit, thinking more bacon and a stronger cheese would have provided a better balance. The grilled octopus was a success, though, for the beast was super tender, the portion was more than generous, and I loved the feisty greens underneath. Only the Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea full-on tentacle presentation here didn't quite work, for, as my friend pointed out, "presentation made me feel the thing had been killed on its way to attacking me." So true!

The fried calamari was less threatening, just a ramekin filled with crisp rings and spiders of tender squid fried in what tasted like chickpea batter and served with ginger-tinged mayo. Very good. The salmon tartare was another hit. I wasn't wild about its wet consistency, yet the melange was fresh, perfectly seasoned, and paired with fat slices of roasted potato that worked surprisingly well with the gloopy tartare.

And the plates kept coming. One of my faves was the grilled jumbo shrimp. Seasoned reasonably with garlic (too many restaurants soak the creatures in the stuff), the shrimp arrived on a bed of fried watercress, which added texture and a welcome peppery/herbal hit.

Yet the hits came to a halt when the hot foie gras arrived. Presented in a thick slice on a crouton, the dish was marred by an excess of caramelized onions. As much as I like caramelized onions, they do nothing for foie gras. As for the promised truffle-oil flavouring on the menu, I could taste none of it (but as truffle oil is so awful in large doses, that might be a good thing). There was also no missing how this rich dish fell flat next to the bright flavours of the proceeding ones.

The same could be said for the duck pancakes. The set-up here included grilled tortillas and cucumber bâtonnets served with a ramekins of soy sauce and sour cream. The duck, a leg confit, came next and was shredded at the table. As much as I love this take on the Szechuan classic, the fat on the confit outweighed that of the meat, so unless we rolled our pancakes with fat and skin, this dish was slim pickin's.

Despite having devoured enough food to feed a family of four for a week, we marched on with dessert. Though I feared I'd burst by this point, only one of our three sweets was finished, and no surprise: It was one of those molten chocolate cake thingamajigs topped with a quenelle of vanilla ice cream. A tarte Tatin made with a tough sable breton crust lacked the requisite caramel flavour, and a sugar pie served in a gummy crust was way, way, way too runny.

With almost as many failed dishes as good, my meal at Confusion indeed left me a little confused. Yet I enjoyed the all-round experience. There's a wonderful conviviality to eating this way that you just don't get with bigger and fewer plates.

With festival season around the corner, Confusion is an excellent choice for a light supper before heading to the jazz or comedy fest. And that terrasse provides a great venue for people-watching on one of the city's most colourful streets - though you might be too busy sharing and comparing to notice.